Bahrain Grand Prix: Strategy guide - Ricciardo the big winner?

Bahrain GP

Bahrain Grand Prix: Strategy guide - Ricciardo the big winner?

Here's what Pirelli say.

Matthew Scott

Sunday 31 March 2019 15:34

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None of the Bahrain Grand Prix frontrunners will be on the optimal strategy, according to tyre manufacturers Pirelli. With Pirelli recommending the race be started on the medium tyre in Sakhir, it could play neatly into the hands of Renault and Daniel Ricciardo.

Ricciardo will be the only driver in the top 10 on the grid with free tyre choice, having been elevated from P11 thanks to a penalty for Romain Grosjean.

The Australian suffered a dismal DNF on his Renault debut in Australia, so the promise of points in the desert will be a boon.

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With little room for manoeuvre among the front-runners, a two-stop strategy could provide Mercedes with a chance to be bold and attack Ferrari, given the Scuderia's clear pace advantage so far this weekend.

Pirelli's Bahrain GP strategy guide

#BahrainGP strategy. Quickest on paper is: start on medium for 20 laps, then finish race on hard. But as nobody in the top 10 of the grid will be starting on medium, the second-quickest strategy is looking promising: start on the soft for 15 laps, then hard to the end (1/3)
— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) March 30, 2019

#BahrainGP strategy: there are a few two-stoppers that could also work. The best two-stopper is: start on the soft tyre for 15 laps, then medium for 21 laps, then another set of mediums to the end. We might see other variations on this theme as well (2/3).
— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) March 30, 2019

#BahrainGP strategy: There’s another one-stop strategy that the teams could also try. Start on soft for 22 laps, then medium to the end. But this one is definitely slower – in theory, at least (3/3).
— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) March 30, 2019